People with asthma and other pulmonary ailments must use nasal and oral sprays in order to lead normal lives. Typically, these sprays are contained in metal cylinders and an atomized liquid spray is provided by depressing a nozzle extending from the cylinder. Plastic containers are typically provided by the manufacturer of the spray to receive and hold the nozzle of the spray cylinder and emit the spray through an opening in the container when pressure is provided against the bottom of the spray cylinder. Such containers are necessary to the practical and easy use of the medical spray.
One of the problems with the modern medical spray systems described above is that the spray cylinder and container are not easily carried by a user. For a person with a sever pulmonary ailment, the need for using the spray occurs almost instantaneously and without warning or predictability. However, before the spray can be used, it must be found. For a person that is bed ridden, or a person who sits at a desk all day long, it is an easy task to keep the spray system at the same place all of the time. For example, the spray may be placed on a night stand adjacent to the bed, or in a particular drawer of a desk.
For a person who is not located at the same place all day long, the spray system must be carried with the person and must be easily and quickly retrievable. For women, the spray can be carried in a purse, although it may be difficult to quickly find if merely thrown in the purse. For men, carrying the spray is a particular problem because of its large size. For example, the spray cylinder and plastic container furnished by the manufacturer is typically too big to fit into an average pants pocket, and even if it does fit, it is uncomfortable and doesn't look good.
The plastic spray containers furnished by the manufacturers of the sprays all contain a cap which protects the opening of the container while it is not being used. The purpose of this cap is to prevent dirt and bacteria from building up around the spray opening and is an important component part of the existing spray systems. The caps are typically plastic component parts which are press fit into place, and which may be removed with a slight force by the user. However, the press lock system often fails after prolonged use and the cap fall off and becomes lost. Further, carrying the spray container in a purse or pants pocket will invariably cause the cap to become dislodged. In this instance, the entire spray container could be rendered useless if sufficient dirt and bacteria enter the spray opening. At a minimum, the plastic container must be replaced, thereby causing a needless trip to the pharmacy to purchase a new one.
In addition, the spray cylinder is held in the plastic container by press fitting the cylinder nozzle into a nozzle receptacle. If the connection between the nozzle and nozzle receptacle becomes lose, the cylinder can fall out and become lost or damaged. For a person dependent upon the medical spray, this may be a disastrous result. Further, many medical sprays are very expensive and the loss of a container results in the needless waste of a lot of money for the user.
What is needed is a container for the spray system which can be easily affixed to a belt, waistband, purse or other object within the easy and quick reach of the user. Further, such container must be easy to use quickly and must further be designed to easily be opened, yet maintain the cap from being lost when closed.